Sunday, March 6, 2011

Evolution of a Blogger

Four years ago to the day I began this blog after returning as a fan (and new bettor) to the sport that captivated my youth. As I mentioned in my initial posting back in 2007, it was one horse—Foolish Pleasure—who first captured my heart, and drew me as a youngster to horse racing, even though we lived nowhere near a racetrack. The 1970s were, arguably, the last “Golden Age” of the sport, with the likes of Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Alydar, Forego and Spectacular Bid, to name but a few. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the inaccessibility of horse racing to me then living in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, first in Slippery Rock and then State College, my interest waned only to be briefly revived each year with the stirrings of spring and the arrival of the first Saturday in May.

Four years ago, I discovered off-track betting, thanks to my now-retired division chairperson who, as a displaced New Yorker, mightily missed the confines of Belmont Park. For the very first time, I learned about wagering and handicapping, initiating an entirely new outlook for me on the sport. It was also the year when advance deposit wagering (ADW) fortuitously emerged, opening up virtually the entire world of horse racing to me from the comfort of home. I fell in love with Australian racing and thus found myself often exploring its joys through my writings. In hindsight, I understand my blog writing experience has mirrored the technology-driven changes in the sport, recording both positive and negative aspects of this on-going revolution—including the advent of Twitter and Facebook.

As a blogger, I evolved from merely a dilettante handicapper and ill-informed blowhard, to one more confident and educated in her opinion, thanks in no small part to fellow bloggers whose passion for and knowledge of the sport raised the bar for me, both in terms of my approach to writing about a topic, as well as the quality of my writing. This pioneering group—many still members of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance while others have since retired from blogging or set out on their own—welcomed me to the blogosphere, and for that encouragement, I am eternally grateful. They include: Patrick Patten (Handride); Alan Mann (Left at the Gate); Lisa Grimm (Superfecta); Jessica Chapel (Railbird); Jennifer Morrison (Jen’s ThoroughBlog); Sue Broux (Post Parade); Tracy the Quinella Queen (Turf Luck); and the incomparable (albeit somewhat twisted) John (The Race is Not Always to the Swift).

So many others who followed continue to inspire me as well, including Teresa Genaro (Brooklyn Backstretch), Kevin Martin (Colin’s Ghost), Dana Byerly (Green But Game), Sid Fernando (Sid Fernando + Observations), Gene Kershner (Equispace), and Ted Grevelis (Owning Racehorses), just to mention a few. There's also a whole host of talented "youngsters" on the current TBA blogroll I encourage you to check out. Of special note are those international bloggers who have taught me so much about racing in the Philippines (Jenny Ortuoste at Go Girl Racing), Korea (Gyongmaman at Horse Racing in Korea), and Japan (Kate Hunter, Keiblog). Also, Keith McCalmont (Triple Dead Heat) covers Canadian racing with tremendous style and knowledge, as does trainer (and ex-pat) Gina Rarick in France (Gallop France). Surprising, a blogger has yet to emerge from Australia or New Zealand, or even England, but perhaps it’s only a matter of time as the horse racing world continues to shrink, and globalization continues.

In honor of my four-year anniversary and nearly 100,000 visitors (a truly humbling mark I should pass in the next few weeks), here is a chronological compilation of some of my favorite posts, even a few from those early years (and some with hysterical titles). Moving forward, I hope I’ll still have the same fire to write about horse racing four years from now—presuming the sport is still around to enjoy. Thanks for reading!